Election Day crowds expected despite record early votingVoters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Paying off your student loans could lower your credit score but only for a short amount of time. It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take. In the early 2000s, Laurie Winter packed up her car and drove herself to Tallahassee to start at Florida State University. “I applied for the student loans on my own,” Winter recounted. “I also got some Pell Grants. And, you know, I was the first person to go to college in my family so I kind of just went out and did it on my own.” Laurie Winter’s graduation photo, CREDIT: WINK News She took out Federal Family Education Program loans or FFEL loans. Most FFEL loans are held by private lenders, not the federal government. They no longer exist but without them and grants, Winter wouldn’t have been able to graduate in 2005 with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. When I graduated, and I went a couple summers too, I had $45,000 in student loans. Laurie Winter A year later, Winter consolidated her FFEL loans into one. Like many federal student loan borrowers, she took advantage of the COVID-19 student loan payment pause. When the Biden Administration announced borrowers could have up to $20,000 of their student loan debt wiped back in 2022, she thought her last payment was within reach. Yet, she kept getting emails from her servicer and the US Department of Education that she would need to apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan in order to be eligible. Screenshot from the Federal Student Aid website “For me it was a no brainer,” Winter thought. And a few months later, she learned her monthly $250 payment dropped to $150 but it’s going to take even longer to pay her loans back and she’s paying more interest. “That’s not at all what I was under the assumption that was happening. I don’t know why I would want to refinance my loan for less money and to add interest on when I’ve paid off all the interest,” Winter said. After the Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s loan forgiveness plan in June 2023, Winter felt even more wronged. “I only had about two years left and this extends it out,” Winter said in frustration. “I never would have gone through this process if I’d known that this was going to be the outcome.” Winter discussing her student loan issues with WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard, CREDIT: WINK News WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard reached out to the US Department of Education to figure out what happened. Spokespeople said since Winter’s FFEL loans were technically held by a private company and not the federal government, she was not eligible for any federal forgiveness plans. She had to get that federally held Direct Consolidation Loan in order to potentially have her loans wiped. The Direct Consolidation Loan also gives her access to some income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. “I think it’s real convenient that all of us had to refinance our loans with the Department of Education,” Winter said with skepticism. “It makes sense if that’s where the funds were coming from but now we did all of that and there’s no funds coming from them. It just seems like everyone had to refinance their loan with the government which seems shady.” Now Winter is eligible for the new federal student loan debt relief plan President Biden announced in early April. “Starting this fall, we plan to deliver up to $20,000 in interest relief to over 20 million borrowers and full forgiveness for millions more,” he said during his announcement. President Biden announcing the new student loan forgiveness plan That applies to those who owe more than their original loan was worth. The plan would also wipe away debt for people who have been paying undergrad loans for 20 years or more or grad student loans over the last 25 years. It also applies to those already eligible for loan forgiveness and for borrowers who can prove financial hardships prevent them from repaying their loans. But like the Biden Administration’s first attempt at student loan forgiveness, this plan is already dealing with legal challenges. Winter has some regrets about consolidating. She originally only had about $15,000 left to pay back. Now her account shows she’ll have to pay close to $22,000 to be free of student debt. “I had no reason other than the hopes and listening to the emails that I got and the things that I saw on TV that my loan would be forgiven. Otherwise, I would have just continued paying once the pause was up at the amount that I was paying previously.” If you’re one of the millions of people with FFEL loans held by private companies, you have until April 30 to apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan and reap the benefits of any debt relief plans.